[PDF] foreign language education in european countries

When do European students start learning a foreign language?

Across Europe, students typically begin studying their first foreign language as a required school subject between the ages of 6 and 9. Furthermore, studying a second foreign language for at least one year is compulsory in more than 20 European countries. Overall, a median of 92% of European students are learning a language in school.

Is English the most studied foreign language in Europe?

English is the most-studied foreign language across almost all European countries and at all education levels. Fully 73% of primary students in Europe and more than nine-in-ten secondary students were learning English at school in 2009-10, the most recent years with available data.

Which countries are learning English as a foreign language in 2020?

All or nearly all (99–100 %) primary school pupils in Cyprus, Malta, Spain, Austria and Poland were learning English as a foreign language in 2020. In 2020, 88 % of pupils in upper secondary education in the EU were learning English as a foreign language: this share was 96 % in general programmes and 79 % in vocational programmes.

What percentage of pupils are learning English as a foreign language?

In 2020, 88 % of pupils in upper secondary education in the EU were learning English as a foreign language: this share was 96 % in general programmes and 79 % in vocational programmes. Nearly half (49 %) of pupils in upper secondary education were learning two or more foreign languages in 2020.